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a Ceremonial Resolution
20-292
In the Council of the District of Columbia
November 18, 2014
Recognizing and celebrating the exceptional achievements and long-time dedicated service of District resident and activist Louise White.
WHEREAS, Louise White is a longtime resident of Ward 3 in the District of Columbia, and has a distinguished academic career as a professor at American and at George Mason Universities;
WHEREAS, through her service on the Mission Committee of the Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church, Louise White became familiar with the plight of returning citizens and the hurdles faced when reentering their communities;
WHEREAS, in September 2005, she began building a volunteer advocacy group, the Reentry Task Force, to focus on issues of confinement and reentry, and this task force has held monthly meetings since 2006;
WHEREAS, benefiting from Ms. White’s leadership, energy, and networking skills, the Reentry Task Force grew exponentially within a year of its formation to include representatives from neighborhood churches, the D.C. Public Defender Service, the D.C. Prisoners’ Project of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee, and the large community of returning citizens, themselves;
WHEREAS, since 2006, Louise White has ensured that the Reentry Task Force remains active and vocal by meeting with councilmembers, the Department of Corrections, halfway house operators, and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton;
WHEREAS, Louise White and other task force members have remained involved in the legislative process by providing testimony regularly at public legislative, oversight, and budget hearings of the D.C. Council, paying special attention to the Committee on the Judiciary;
WHEREAS, the Reentry Task Force has been a major advocate supporting the 2006 legislation creating the Office on Returning Citizen Affairs (“ORCA”) and the 2011 legislation revitalizing the long-dormant District of Columbia Corrections Information Council (“CIC”);
WHEREAS, on behalf of the Reentry Task Force, Louise White has been a tireless public witness for adequate funding for both ORCA and the CIC as well as for the D.C. Department of Corrections;
WHEREAS, Ms. White was appointed by the Mayor, confirmed by the Council, and served from 2012 to 2014 as a member of the Commission on Reentry and Returning Citizen Affairs; and
WHEREAS, with undiminished devotion and passion for the cause, Louise White has now stepped down from her leadership of the Reentry Task Force, passing the reins to her able co-chair, leaving a strong legacy of commitment to improving services to D.C. prisoners and to reducing the barriers those prisoners confront when returning to our community.
IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that the District of Columbia is grateful for Louise White’s commitment to our city and her dedication to the wellbeing of returning citizens so all can benefit from their successful reentry.
Sec. 2. This resolution may be cited as the “Louise White Recognition Resolution of 2014”.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in the District of Columbia Register.
